Inequities in Washington State Education Fund Distribution
February 27, 2014
TEDADM 577 School Finance
Funding Inequities Paper
Introduction
The Washington State constitution dictates “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste or sex.” All children have the right to an education, however unlike other states, within the Washington State constitution it is made a “paramount duty”. In 1976, following a failure to pass a levy by Seattle School District, Seattle School District argued that this wasn’t the case. The Doran decision in the late 70’s found that Washington State was violating its constitutional law in not providing adequate funds to public education. The McCleary case took it further and argued that Washington State needs to do more than cover a percentage within a school budget but fully fund public education and real changes need to be made. These changes were the laws ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776 which required such things as lower class sizes, fully funded kindergarten and highly capable programs, increased credits for high school, increased instructional hours and new funding levels to be established by the 2018 school year. As of December 2012 the findings were that the state was not making adequate progress towards making the 2018 deadline and that inequities in funding still existed. This paper will examine the funding inequities in Washington State public education and identify both the impact and some possible alternative or solutions. The three main reasons contributing to funding inequities that will be examined are; an overreliance on local funding, grandfathering of levy lids, and discrepancy in teacher salary dependent on school district.
Reliance on Local Funding
Washington State provides the majority of public school education’s funding however there is an overreliance on local resources in the form of levies. If a levy is passed, it
TEDADM 577 School Finance
Funding Inequities Paper
Introduction
The Washington State constitution dictates “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste or sex.” All children have the right to an education, however unlike other states, within the Washington State constitution it is made a “paramount duty”. In 1976, following a failure to pass a levy by Seattle School District, Seattle School District argued that this wasn’t the case. The Doran decision in the late 70’s found that Washington State was violating its constitutional law in not providing adequate funds to public education. The McCleary case took it further and argued that Washington State needs to do more than cover a percentage within a school budget but fully fund public education and real changes need to be made. These changes were the laws ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776 which required such things as lower class sizes, fully funded kindergarten and highly capable programs, increased credits for high school, increased instructional hours and new funding levels to be established by the 2018 school year. As of December 2012 the findings were that the state was not making adequate progress towards making the 2018 deadline and that inequities in funding still existed. This paper will examine the funding inequities in Washington State public education and identify both the impact and some possible alternative or solutions. The three main reasons contributing to funding inequities that will be examined are; an overreliance on local funding, grandfathering of levy lids, and discrepancy in teacher salary dependent on school district.
Reliance on Local Funding
Washington State provides the majority of public school education’s funding however there is an overreliance on local resources in the form of levies. If a levy is passed, it